DESCRIPTION: Eliminating Health Care Disparities in the Southwest April 20 -21, 2007 The Norris Conference Center 4522 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, Texas. The MESA Center for Health Disparities is a collaborative partnership between the University of Michigan School of Nursing and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing. The Southwest Partnership Center for Nursing Research is a partnership between The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing and New Mexico State University Department of Nursing. These P-20 Centers address health disparities experienced by population groups residing in South Texas, Michigan, Central Texas, and New Mexico. These four nursing schools are partnering in the development of a one and one half day State of Knowledge Conference to be sponsored by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing. The focus of the planned conference on elimination of health care disparities in the Southwest reflects the desire of faculty from these P-20 Centers to synthesize what they and other Southwest-based health disparities focused centers and programs have learned in the past four years. The synthesis will provide a base for continuing work in the Southwest to eliminate health disparities among some of the priority populations designated in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 2003 National Healthcare Disparities Report. The purposes of the conference are to: 1) synthesize understanding of gains made in the elimination of health disparities in the Southwest, 2) provide an environment to communicate health professional and/or discovery scientist training support opportunities for minority persons, and 3) identify challenges remaining in achievement of culturally competent care. Of This Research To Public Health: This State of Knowledge Conference will offer a forum for sharing current information about the elimination of health care disparities in the Southwest while local, state programs, and centers work to eradicate disparities. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]